CENTRE FOR ARABIC STUDIES OPENS AT UNIVERSITY OF COIMBRA, PORTUGAL

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 6 (Bernama) -- Sharjah Supreme Council Member and Ruler, Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, has launched the Centre for Arabic Studies at the University of Coimbra in Portugal, strengthening cultural and academic ties between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Europe.

According to a statement, Sheikh Dr Sultan also launched the Joanina Digital Library, a project carried out with Sharjah’s support in cooperation with the University of Coimbra to preserve and share global knowledge.

He presented the library with the rare Barbosa manuscript dated 1565, a firsthand Portuguese account of the Gulf region, which he acquired in 2012 after it had been lost for over a century.

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At the Joanina Library, Sheikh Dr Sultan signed copies of his book “A Momentous Journey”, based on the manuscript, published in Arabic, English and Portuguese. He stated that this book seeks not just to record history but to restore fairness to the people’s narrative.

He praised Barbosa’s honesty in documenting Gulf society, noted the manuscript as a rare, detailed testimony of the region’s reality in that era, and emphasised the importance of such historical texts in fostering mutual understanding among nations.

Meanwhile, the University of Coimbra Rector, Amílcar Falcão, praised the partnership between Portugal and Sharjah, describing the newly launched digital collection, the “Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi Collection”, as a milestone in cross-cultural scholarship.

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Concluding the visit, Sheikh Dr Sultan has also toured the historic Joanina Library, viewing rare manuscripts and learning about its departments and the preservation efforts for its valuable holdings.

-- BERNAMA